Why I’ve Worked At Mid America Mortgage Longer Than a 30 Year Mortgage Itself

Growing up, I always wanted to be a teacher, so when I graduated from high school, I went off to college to get my BS degree in Elementary Education. Following graduation, I taught for about 3 years in Texas before deciding to move back to my home town of Moberly, Missouri. I did a lot of substitute teaching over the next couple of years, but once my daughter was born, I was a stay-at-home mom for a while.

When it became apparent that my daughter had an intellectual disability and I was suddenly a single mom, I knew that my patience had be reserved for her instead of a classroom of students. Because of this, my daughter and I moved to Columbia and I began working at a local bank. In 1984, Ralph Gates decided he was going to open Mid America Mortgage and he offered me a position. That was the beginning of my 34-year employment with the company.

I love working at Mid America Mortgage because I know that, in many ways, my love of teaching is still being put to good use. I enjoy being able to help the borrowers that I work with learn about what it takes to be approved for a loan and become homeowners. At Mid America, we pride ourselves in doing what is best for our borrowers and we take a personal interest in their homeownership journey.

I especially love having those first-time homeowners come back to me with their young children in tow, saying, “We need a bigger house! Can you help us again?” It isn’t always easy to get every loan approved, but I can guarantee you that at Mid America Mortgage, we will do everything possible to make it happen, all while keeping you informed along the way. That is what we believe is right and we will ALWAYS do our best to do the right thing for you!

So, it’s true: I have been working at Mid America Mortgage longer than a 30-year mortgage itself! Throughout the last three decades, I have loved helping people realize their dream of home ownership and I especially love that my job still allows me to be a teacher!

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"When we were 18 and 19 years old no one wanted to help us get started. But Michelle took us under her wing 6 years ago next month. There is a lot of people out there that could of taken advantage of us many of times because we had no idea what was going on. For Michelle to stand beside us and walk us through, and not let us get into something that could get us in a lot of trouble means the world. We thank Michelle and we are extremely blessed to be able to work with her and her team. I have never even thought about talking to another lender and will always be loyal to Mid America Mortgage."

Cody and Morgan

Selling our home of 17 years and building a new home was a very emotional time for our family. We were ready for the next adventure in our lives but knew there were numerous steps involved. The search for a mortgage officer was simple, Michelle was our choice. Her guidance and knowledge made the process as easy as possible. When we had questions, she was always there to give us an answer and discuss our options. The employees of Mid America Mortgage like Michelle will keep us returning for our mortgage needs.

Chad and Julee

"I’m a very loyal customer at Mid America Mortgage. I have an addiction to building houses and designing them, and they are always right there with me every step of the way helping me get the best loan product and the best rates whenever I am ready to build. They make sure you don’t get a loan that you can’t afford. The whole process was very smooth. I would recommend Mid America Mortgage to anyone because they are always there to teach you, help you, and make it easy for you every step of the way."

Kate

"They really explained the process to us very well and made us feel very comfortable, specifically Jeanie Byland. I have never asked a question that I felt dumb about. They really wanted to educate us and have been fantastic. The interest rates changed one day and they called me to say, ‘Hey we might ought to look into refinancing your loan’. I really felt like they had our best interest at heart."

Steve

"I knew Jeanie Byland for a long time. She made the process so easy. One of the things I probably appreciated the most was that she didn't want to spoil the excitement of closing on a new house by showing up on closing day finding out that we owe a lot more than we thought. They were upfront with that information right from the get-go, and that’s because it’s just like they say, ‘They wouldn’t put you in a loan that they would be comfortable taking themselves.’”

Jamie

"My wife and I have moved around quite a bit with my job so we have been through the process before, but we have never had anybody help us as much as Michelle West Mid America Mortgage did. We needed a loan for a new construction home and they were able to help us out with all of our needs and make us feel comfortable with what we were doing moving forward. They did a good job of walking us through the paperwork to make sure that we were pre-approved for a certain amount."

Jason

"I have had mortgages since 2004 in Columbia and have gone through a couple of banks, but over the last several years, the last couple of houses have been with Mid America Mortgage. Michelle has told us many times, 'I am not going to put you in a situation I am not comfortable with you being in, regardless of what it means for our company'.

Heidi always has a smile on her face and when you walk through the door, they recognize you and say “Hi”. I definitely recommend anyone who is in the home buying, purchasing, refinancing, upgrading business to go to Mid America Mortgage, ask for Michelle because they are going to be the best person you can work with."

John

"My family owns Tiger Ice Company. My experience with Ralph at Mid America started with Tiger Ice because we needed to expand our facility. When we went in to talk to Ralph at Mid America, he pretty much was straight up with us and told us we needed to go back to the drawing board. We came back with new numbers and a new plan, and we built the facility and everything was fine. Our dream of that would not have been possible at all without Mid America Mortgage and Ralph. They don’t tell you what you want to hear, they tell you the truth and that's what we weren't getting from other banks."

Andy

"One of the main things that I loved about Michelle was she was so organized. She would meet us at any location she needed to, and to be honest she had the absolute lowest interest rate. They were always very transparent with fees so there were no surprises. Michelle was always super easy and we would always run in talk to her even it was for a few minutes. The best thing was the process was very, very smooth."

Chris and Jamie

Michelle, I want to thank you for all of your efforts on the loan. I never knew how much information the needed! I appreciate your personal nature and ease of working together. Thank you for making this happen! :)